Buy or Sell Bronny James' Recent NBA and G League Improvement

There has never been a more polarizing 55th pick in the NBA draft than Bronny James. Fair or unfair, being the son of LeBron James has put a spotlight on him, and in some cases, it's been a bullseye.

James' route to the NBA was anything but normal. Before he even played for USC, he suffered a cardiac arrest in a summer workout. Thankfully, he fully recovered, but it was a setback for his freshman season and delayed his debut to December. He never had a massive impact on the Trojans. 

Even James' draft process was different. He only worked out for two teams: the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers. Throughout the draft process, there were cries of nepotism. Of course, what got lost in all of this is whether James can actually play.

Coming off a recent hot streak for the 20-year-old, let's take a look at his overall game today and "Buy or Sell" what we're seeing in both the NBA and the G League.

First, though, we'll examine shooting, scoring, playmaking and defense. And we'll do it without any bias about him being the son of LeBron or how he got drafted.

It's time to evaluate the player as just a player. 

Shooting

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Nowadays, being able to shoot in the NBA regardless of position is imperative. James came into this season with that being a serious question mark. 

Looking at his collegiate career, he played just 25 games. Over his short time at USC, he shot just 26.7 percent from three and 48.1 percent from two. 

James' shooting is about the same when playing for the Lakers: 25 percent from three and 41.7 percent from two in limited minutes over 23 games. But he has shined in the G League. 

In only 11 games (more on that later) for the South Bay Lakers, James' shooting numbers are much improved. He's shooting 44.3 percent from the field and a surprising 38 percent from three on 8.4 attempts. 

Diving deeper into his shooting numbers, he is a much better three-point shooter off the dribble than catch-and-shoot. Here's a breakdown of all of his stops. 

James' approach off screens squares up and knocks down shots is smooth. The example below perfectly shows this against NBA-level talent. 

He comes off a double-high screen. Look at his patience coming off the first screen against the hard switch. He slows up, fakes like he's going left before coming off the Alex Len screen and sees Brook Lopez in a deep drop, so he pulls up for the three. That is a great read and real-time processing. 

Of course, James' catch-and-shoot numbers are troubling. If he is going to play major minutes for the Lakers, he's not going to have the ball in his hands behind Luka Dončić, LeBron and Austin Reaves. He has to improve his catch-and-shoot threes if he is going to break into the rotation in L.A. 

Scoring

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Looking at James' shot diet in the G League through Synergy Sports Tech, the 20-year-old relies mostly on his jump shot (52.6 percent of his attempts). Looking more closely, 34.9 percent of his shot attempts come at the rim, and runners make up 12.5 percent of his attempts.

The "points per shot" on each category split with 0.96 points on his jump shot, 0.99 at the rim (layups and dunks), and 0.94 off of runners. The runners are the only ones that are rated as good. His jump shot is average, and his rim shots are rated as poor. 

The shot distances are interesting as well. With James, it is either a three or a shot 17 feet and in. He rarely takes a mid-range shot. He uses his ball-handling skills to get into the rim and does a good job getting into the paint and assessing the situation. 

James is coming off his best game for the South Bay Lakers. He scored 39 points on 14-of-21 shooting, including 4-of-8 from three. He made an array of shots, including threes off the dribble, putting his shoulder down, and attacking the paint. 

This was following his best game as a pro against the Milwaukee Bucks, where he put up 17 points, going 7-of-10 from the field and 2-of-4 from three.

It was easily his best game as a pro against top-level players, with the Lakers resting their main guys.

Playmaking

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James' passing might be the most translatable skill he possesses. In his 11 games in the G League, he is averaging 5.4 assists. A game after the 39-point explosion, he handed out a season-high nine dimes. He has good court vision both in transition and in the half court. 

One of James' best assists on his night against Milwaukee was a full-court dime. He gets the rebound, takes one dribble while already looking ahead and launches a long bomb to Markieff Morris. 

In the half court, James operates mostly out of the pick-and-roll. He has a points per possession of 0.836 in pick-and-rolls, including passes. He specifically finds the screener rolling to the basket particularly well with a PPP for 1.125. 

James needs to improve in one area: turnovers. He averages 3.5 turnovers and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.51. He needs to find a way to reduce those to 2.5. Sometimes, it's a case of trying to go for it when a play is not there. 

Defense

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Despite being undersized, James has a future as a defender in the NBA. His 6'7" wingspan helps him get deflections, and he has shown strong instincts to disrupt plays and force turnovers.

For the South Bay Lakers, he is averaging two steals per game. This season, defensively, opponents have a PPP of 0.806 against him while shooting 38.1 percent from the field. 

The above clip is a great example of James' instincts and wingspan leading to disruption. He gets his hands up as the pass is being made, deflecting the ball, forcing the turnover and getting paid off with a three for his troubles in transition. 

The Problem

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There is a massive problem with James. 

He never plays.

At this point of the season, the South Bay Lakers have played 34 games, but James has only played in 11 games. Not 11 straight games, but very sporadically, which can happen with G League players who get called up to join their NBA team regularly.

Simply put: He needs more reps.

Game reps are vital to a player's development. James is not going to get that with the Los Angeles Lakers. He needs to fine-tune his skills and get more opportunities to work on his game—in games.  

Buy or Sell James' Recent Improvement?

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I am buying James' hot streak in the G League. He has produced every time he has stepped on the court for the South Bay Lakers. He runs the show well for them, scores, makes plays and defends at a strong level.

The real question, though, is whether he can do this at the NBA level. I'm selling him on doing this exact thing. His role in the NBA is not going to be an on-ball scoring combo guard, especially with the Los Angeles Lakers. 

That said, James can fill a role in the NBA. He can be a secondary playmaker and point-of-attack defender for smaller guards. He has to improve his catch-and-shoot game.

If you're looking for a player comparison, he is already in the league and thriving right now: Gary Payton II. They are similar in size, wingspan and build.

If James embraces and works toward that role, he can have a great 10-year NBA career. 

Mo Dakhil spent six years with the Los Angeles Clippers and two years with the San Antonio Spurs as a video coordinator, as well as three years with the Australian men's national team. Follow him on Twitter,@MoDakhil_NBA.